🇿🇦
South Africa
Land of the San, the Zulu Kingdom, Dutch and British colonies, apartheid and Mandela's rainbow nation.
Overview
Southern Africa hosted the San and Khoi peoples for millennia, then Bantu migrations, Dutch and British settlement, the rise of the Zulu under Shaka, and the 20th-century apartheid state ended in 1994.
Basic Information
CapitalPretoria / Cape Town / Bloemfontein
Population60 million
Area1,221,037 km²
CurrencySouth African rand (ZAR)
Languages11 official languages
RegionSub-Saharan Africa
History Timeline
- 1652Dutch found Cape Town
- c. 1816Shaka founds Zulu Kingdom
- 1899 – 1902Second Boer War
- 1948 – 1994Apartheid era
- 1994Mandela elected president
Ancient Peoples
- San
- Khoikhoi
- Bantu peoples
Ancient Kingdoms
- Mapungubwe
- Zulu Kingdom
- Xhosa polities
Empires
- Dutch Cape Colony
- British Empire
Religions
- Christianity
- African traditional
- Islam
- Hinduism
Culture
Ubuntu philosophy, isicathamiya choral music, Nadine Gordimer literature.
Language
Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English among 11 official.
Important Battles
- Battle of Blood River1838
Voortrekker vs. Zulu
- Battle of Isandlwana1879
Zulu victory over British
Historical Figures
Shaka Zulu
c. 1816 – 1828
Zulu king
Nelson Mandela
1994 – 1999
First post-apartheid president
Archaeological Sites
- Sterkfontein Caves
- Mapungubwe
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Cradle of Humankind
- Robben Island
- Mapungubwe
- iSimangaliso
Dynasties
- Zulu royal house
Colonial Period
Dutch (1652 – 1806), British (1806 – 1910).
Modern History
Parliamentary republic; largest African stock market.